Malaysia Airlines will be the first carrier to use new satellite technology to track its airplanes in real-time

March 8, 2014, marked the beginning of one of the greatest mysteries in modern aviation.

That date, Malaysia Airlines MH-370, a Boeing 777 carrying 239 people on board, vanished from radar screens about an hour into its journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The aircraft was later thought to have flown in a straight line out into the most remote reaches of the southern Indian Ocean, where it presumably plunged after exhausting its fuel.

To date, the final resting place of MH-370 has not been pinpointed, despite extensive searches. Only debris washed ashore in Madagascar and elsewhere provides hints of a tragic end to the fateful flight.

Now, Malaysia Airlines stands first in line to adopt new satellite technology that will enable it to track its fleet anywhere in the world in real-time.

The airline will work in partnership with air traffic surveillance company Aireon and flight tracking and telecommunications firms FlightAware and SITAOnAir to implement technology for safer flight patterns.

The carrier will utilize a piece of Aireon’s technology, known as the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) in combination with data from FlightAware to provide real-time updates on its fleet’s position.

A brand new satellite network to handle ADS-B data traffic was launched into orbit earlier this year.